The field of this invention relates to locks and more particularly to an axial cylinder lock which has been specifically constructed to be "highly pick resistant".
Key operated locks are in widespread use throughout all segments of society. One common form of a key operated lock is what is referred to as a tubular lock. A tubular lock is to connect with a tubular key and, if the proper key is selected, the lock is capable of being opened and closed.
Each tubular lock within the prior art includes a housing within which is located a shaft which is pivoted or rotated when the proper key is inserted within the lock to operate such. Such locks include a plurality of spring-biased pin arrangements each of which are moved a prescribed amount by the key to locate the lock in a shear-line position permitting the lock to be operated. The key connects with a circular, thin opening formed within the face plate. A nosepiece connects witht eh face plate and defines the inner surface of the thin circular opening.
In the past, the nosepiece was fixed to the shaft. Anyone that desired to "pick" such a lock could insert a device that would attach onto the nosepiece and, by exerting a slight rotational torque on the nosepiece, would apply a small amount of torque to each pin arrangement. By carefully moving each of the pins in this torqued position, when a particular pin arrangement became located at the shear-line, this position could be felt by a person knowledgeable in the "art" of picking locks. Once the individual has moved each pin arrangement to its particular shear-line position, the operation of the lock is then obtained without the using of the proper key. This type of procedure is known in the field as "picking".
In the past, there have been many attempts at trying to construct an "unpickable" lock. However, previously, once a manufacturer believed that they constructed such a lock, it is only a matter of a short period of time that someone figures out a way to "pick" the lock. The picking of locks is a desirable business activity for locksmiths. If a person loses a set of keys and does not have a key to open a particular lock, a locksmith can be called to then "pick" the lock and determine the code so that a new key can be made. This eliminates the destructive removal of the entire lock mechanism and the replacement thereof which inherently is far more costly than the picking of the lock. However, in some environments, a "highly pick resistant" lock would be desired with these installations, taking the chance of losing the key.